Tinnitus may be more than an auditory nuisance; it is also associated with cognitive deficits in older adults, according to an analysis of data from the 2011 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Researchers examined 684 participants aged 60 years or older who had completed cognitive tests and reported their tinnitus status. Participants were grouped as having no tinnitus, acute tinnitus (<3 months), or non-acute tinnitus (≥3 months).

Cognitive performance was assessed using the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Word List (CERAD-WL), Animal Fluency Test (AFT), and Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). Lower AFT and DSST scores were observed among participants with tinnitus, particularly those with acute tinnitus.

In fully adjusted models controlling for age, sex, income, education, alcohol use, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and stroke, participants with acute tinnitus scored 14.75 points lower on the DSST (β = −14.75; 95% CI, −21.88 to −7.62) and 4.44 points lower on the AFT (β = −4.44; 95% CI, −7.78 to −1.10) compared with those without tinnitus.

Tinnitus also was associated with increased odds of cognitive impairment, as defined by DSST scores of 36 or lower (OR, 5.28; 95% CI, 1.12–24.86). No significant association was found between tinnitus and CERAD-WL scores.

These findings suggest that tinnitus, particularly acute tinnitus, may be associated with deficits in attention and executive function among older adults. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine causal relationships.

The authors reported no conflicts of interest.

Source: frontiers